Good bugs vs. bad bugs

Not all bugs destroy crops and carry disease. From pollinators to bugs that eat the pests, here’s a guide to the good guys and the bad guys.

By Steve Tarter

Good

1. Bees: Bee pollination is estimated at $15 billion annually in crop value, but our bees have been disappearing lately. The phenomenon known as Colony Collapse Disorder has devastated hives across the country. U.S. beekeepers report losing one-third of their colonies this year.

2. Lady beetles: In the Midwest, these predators are best known for their appetite for soybean aphids. But beetles come in many colors with many insects on their menu. Among the pests they devour include mites, whiteflies and small caterpillars.

3. Ants: The lowly ant can be an important predator of other insects. Even fire ants, not everyone’s favorite, can keep caterpillars from becoming a problem.

4. Asian cockroach: An unlikely hero, but this flying insect feeds on the eggs of moths and butterflies as well as pests that cause problems for cotton growers.

Bad

1. Mosquito: Among the most serious of insect pests, mosquitoes carry a variety of diseases from the West Nile virus and encephalitis to malaria. They can be found in just about every part of the United States.

2. Corn rootworm: The Corn Belt’s No. 1 enemy for decades. While the latest treatments involve biotech seed with the pesticide built in, there are always concerns about insect resistance.

3. Emerald ash borer: These wood-boring beetles were discovered in Michigan in 2002. They are blamed for killing 70,000 ash trees in Detroit alone, and it’s spreading through the Midwest and eastern United States.

4. Soybean aphid: Before these bugs arrived, soybean farmers didn’t spend a dime on insect control, said Kevin Steffey, University of Illinois Extension entomologist. Now they do.